JKNEWS TODAY COMMENTARY
On Thursday Day when Jammu and Kashmir like the rest of the country is celebrating the 78th Independence Day , a thought should be spared for the oppressed people across the Line of Control , reeling under the thumb rule of Pakistan where dissent is crushed with bullets .
On this occasion when Jammu and Kashmir is opening many vistas of opportunities within, and exploring its potential in the rest of the country, and come to symbolize a place of stability and economic development, Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir is locked in a struggle to survive .It is locked in a battle of getting wheat flour to eat and deprived of electricity and other basic amenities. The residents are ruing their fate and are unable to bear the pangs of deprivation inflicted on them by the Pakistani establishment.
There are two critical issues involved. Our celebrations of the Independence –Day are incomplete unless the people across the LoC- Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir- join us in these celebratory moments. Jammu and Kashmir, on this side of the LoC, particularly after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, has seen unprecedented development, which is both physical and psychological. The human development is of a particular interest and appeal. The men, women, children and youth are free from atmosphere of fear , and they have gained for themselves a life of certainty wherein they can, as Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha often says , “ breathe in a fresh air of freedom ( from fear).”
But the people in PoJk have nothing to celebrate; they can only envy what is happening in this part of Jammu and Kashmir. They are locked in a never-ending struggle to survive as people with their identity and dignity. These crucial elements of any race or community or the population of a particular area define who they are. Their identity and dignity was snatched by Pakistani leadership, both political and military, long ago.
In recent months the PoJK residents took to streets demanding their basic rights. They were forced to buy wheat flour at exorbitant rates, which many in the populace could not afford, and they were handed over inflated electricity bills, despite the fact that the dams in their region electrified Pakistan. They were out in streets, staging sit-ins, marches and raising slogans against the atrocities unleashed on them by Pakistani army. The protestors were shot several of them died and many more maimed for rest of their lives.
All these years, they were told that J&K was suffering from denial of rights and it was under the “Indian occupation.” Pakistani army coined the phrase “Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” and handed over propaganda that the residents on this side of the LoC were agitating for the right to self-determination. It was a deception and deflection played out by Pakistan to justify marginalizing PoJK residents, weaving an illusion for them that one day whole of Jammu and Kashmir will be theirs.It has been proved, and the PoJK people, too have recognized the fact that all this was a false propaganda.
First of all, now they have become conscious that they were befooled in the name of Muslim brotherhood and separate nation for the Muslim community, a product of the notion of two-nation theory as they did not come to Pakistan but their land was grabbed by Pakistani invader. They were handed over a fait accompli that they were part of Pakistan, and they were given the title of “Azad Kashmir” to give an impression that they were free. The title was another falsehood, as neither they were free nor they had any say in to what they were subjected to. They did not wish this fate for themselves.
Worse followed when Pakistan used their territory to launch terror training camps, and brought highly trained terrorists from Afghanistan and mainland Pakistan to defile the people there. This territory was converted into terrorists producing factory , not only that but also brought about an assault on the identity and dignity of the place and people , especially women Pakistan army is instrumental in doing so , because it used its presence as a weapon to keep the people’s aspirations in check.
Much of Pakistan’s propaganda was exposed when Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that all the people of PoJK, which is Muslim majority, are our own. They would be welcomed with open arms. This gave lie to Pakistan’s claims that Muslims in India were unsafe.
Today, it is not just the contrasts and comparisons that PoJK people are making with Jammu and Kashmir , they are worried about the loss of their identity and dignity , and they have understood that they can gain what was theirs prior to 1947 by rejoining J&K, and becoming Indian citizens . Now this is our responsibility to make them partners and participants in our national festival celebrations by fulfilling their aspirations.
